Devon’s Mission in Kiribati

 Happy late Thanksgiving! I hope everyone got to eat plenty of turkey. I miss the feeling of being able to eat so much turkey that I feel like I am going to pop. We had a Thanksgiving meal yesterday in the MTC, but with around 2,000 missionaries, we didn't get the usual Thanksgiving buffet... I think we would have run the church out of money if we did. During the days leading up to the holiday, I was wondering what Thanksgiving was going to be like away from home. Thanksgiving + no family and friends.... it seemed like a pretty sad outcome. I WAS SO WRONG. I can honestly say that Thanksgiving was the best day in the MTC so far. In the morning, we got to hear Elder Bednar, one of the 12 apostles, speak to us. I had a question running through my head the entire week. The time is quickly approaching when I will be In the foreign land of Kiribati. I have the responsibility of representing Jesus Christ and his church... you can imagine the pressure. I kept wondering, "Am I going to...

 "Hello my friends!"  For all you that don't speak Kiribati, honestly, that could mean something totally different, but I guess you will have to take my word for it... HOW IS EVERYONE DOING?  I'm already on my 5th week of the MTC. Time is flying. I think we will be receiving our travel plans soon because we fly out to the islands in 11 days.  It is crunch time to learn the language, but I know that I will learn sooo much more when I am actually living on the islands. My district got to be "Hosts" this past Wednesday  so we got to help pick up the new missionaries that were getting dropped off at the MTC. It was tough seeing each elder hug their mom, say how much they love them, and walk off. It reminded me of when I was in their shoes just a few weeks prior. I won't sugar coat it... the mission is tough. You are living a new lifestyle that you aren't used to, you are paired up with a companion that you have never met, and, in my case, have to learn...

Mauri raoraou!  How is everyone doing??? This week was insanely fast. Everyone always told me that each week is going to go by so fast, and, before you know it, the mission will be over. I know exactly what they mean now... The language is actually coming along quite well. I'm pretty used to the missionary schedule, so I got a grasp on when I should study and how I should manage my time. However, God has a crazy way of pushing us to our true potential and out of our comfort zone to allow us to grow. Earlier this week I was assigned to be District Leader which means more time spent going to meetings, more time spent focusing on the needs of the elders in my district, and less time spent on my own studies... of course haha. Yes, the stress was real, but I went into it knowing God will bless me for doing his work.  I studied as much of the language as I could this week and dedicated all my time to strengthening my own knowledge as well as strengthening the missionaries I ser...

MAAAAAUUUUURIIIIIII!!!! How is it going everyone? I have officially survived 2 weeks in the MTC. Each day starts to kind of blend together so let's see if I can remember everything... As all of you know, this week was Halloween! I hope you all had an awesome Halloween and got plenty of candy. We had class and lessons all day, so unfortunately, we didn't get any big Halloween celebration. HOWEVER, once we all returned to our residence, all my missionaries on our floor decided to have our own floor Halloween. I tried to keep track of all the costumes people were wearing, but I think the most popular costume was dressing up like a missionary... I could be wrong though. Our room is known as the "food room" because we receive so many snacks from home. By the way, I love everything everyone has sent me, but if i would have eaten all the snacks by myself, I would already be 15 lbs heavier.... So we decided to share a little love with the other missionaries on our floor. Ju...